British universities have been encouraged to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant in a letter written by the ministers for Universities and Defence.
Universities Minister Chris Skidmore and Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood have signed a joint letter urging Universities to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant to provide better opportunities for service personnel. The covenant helps to remove barriers and create better access to public services including education for servicewomen and men and their families.
Universities supporting the covenant would provide support such as ensuring admissions policies reflect the needs of the armed forces community, benchmarking military experience and qualifications against course entry requirements, or having a presence at local careers fairs for those leaving the services. Currently, 57 of 136 UK universities have signed up, with just three of the 24 Russel Group universities pledging support.
Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said: “We want everyone with the talent and potential, no matter their circumstances or background, to go on to university and thrive.”
“Nearly 60 of our universities have signed up to delivering the Armed Forces Covenant, which provides rights for veterans and their families to access education, and I know universities such as Winchester have long had outreach programmes with their local armed forces communities. I’m sure all universities will wish to consider the benefits of being a civic university that supports armed forces families in their communities, which is why I have written urging them all to actively consider signing up to the Covenant.”
The number of young people from service families who enter higher education currently stands at 24% compared to 43% in the overall population. The Department for Education recently created the Service Leavers Scheme, a £5million programme that offers to cover tuition fees for personnel who have not received higher education before.
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